Regenerative Medicine Today

Listen to show #67 here!
RegenMedToday_067_April2009.mp3 [16.0MB 00:27:58 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Eric Beckman, PhD.  Dr. Beckman is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and the co-founder of Cohera Medical, Inc.  Dr. Beckman discusses the technology that is being developed at Cohera Medical, Inc. as well as the difficulties faced when starting a small company.

For more information on Dr. Beckman, click here.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Research Site

McGowan Institute Patient Site

Host John Murphy.

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 11:06

Listen to show #66 here!
RegenMedToday_066_March2009.mp3 [12.2MB 00:21:20 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes back Peter Wearden, MD, PhD.  Dr. Wearden is an Assistant Professor-Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Director Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and a faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.  Joining Dr. Wearden is Dr. Joel Gradowski and Cindy Gradowski, who discuss their son’s recent cardiac treatment and recovery through the use of a Ventricular Assist Device.
For more information on Dr. Wearden’s work interests and initiatives:

• Development of Pediatric Artificial Heart
• Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device
• A Bead-Time Story

For Dr. Wearden’s clinical contact, click here.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Research Site

McGowan Institute Patient Site

Host John Murphy.

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 18:32

Listen to show #65 here!
RegenMedToday_065November2008 [21.8MB 00:38:07 80kbps]

Due to a technical difficulty, many listeners were unable to access the discussion with Dr. David Whitcomb. As a result, Regenerative Medicine Today is reposting the podcast. Dr. David Whitcomb is Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, he is the Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, as well as the founder and Director of the Center for Genomic Sciences.

Dr. Whitcomb discusses the research of his Division that is pioneering alternative diagnosis and treatment for disorders of the pancreas, liver and the intestine.

For more information about Dr. Whitcomb, please Click Here.

For more information about the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, please Click Here

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Patient Site

McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 13:37

Listen to show #64 here!
Due to a technical difficulty, listeners were unable to access the discussion with Dr. Steven Little. As a result, Regenerative Medicine Today is reposting the podcast.

RegenMedToday_064_January2009.mp3 [11.2MB 00:19:40 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Dr. Steven Little who is an Assistant Professor and Bicentennial Alumni Faculty Fellow, Departments of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Immunology, and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Professor Little introduces us to his pioneering studies in targeted drug delivery. His focus is on the delivery of genetic vaccines with special emphasis on non-viral, particulate formulations. His current interests include controlled delivery for tissue engineering, immunotherapeutics, and biomimetic materials. He also shares his vision on the rate at which these emerging technologies will be available for clinical use.

For more information about the Little Lab, please Click Here.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Research Site

McGowan Institute Patient Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 18:43

Listen to show #63 here!
RegenMedToday_063_January2009.mp3 [13.1MB 00:17:57 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Major General (ret.) Gale S. Pollock, who is the executive director of the nation’s first Center for Ocular Regeneration and Vision Restoration (CORVR), a division of the UPMC eye center.  Major General Pollock discusses her goals for CORVR as well as current studies being done to improve quality of life for those with eye injuries and blindness.

For more information about Major General (ret.) Pollock, please Click Here.
For listeners with a clinical interest in ophthalmology, please Click Here.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Research Site

McGowan Institute Patient Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 19:26

Listen to show #62 here!
RegenMedToday_062_January2009.mp3 [16.9MB 00:29:40 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Sanjeev G. Shroff, PhD., who is the Associate Chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh; Professor and Gerald McGinnis Chair in Bioengineering; Professor of Medicine; and Senior Investigator, Magee-Women’s Research Institute.  Dr. Shroff shares highlights of his scientific studies on vascular stiffness and cardiovascular function as well as large-scale mathematical simulations of biological systems for research, education, and engineering design.

For more information about Dr. Shroff, please Click Here.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Research Site

McGowan Institute Patient Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast at 14:45

Listen to show #61 here!
RegenMedToday_061_December2008 [14.4MB 00:25:18 80kbps]

Regenerative Medicine Today welcomes Dr. John Pollock who is Associate Professor-Bayer School of Natural Sciences and Environment, Duquesne University. Dr. Pollock shares highlights of his scientific studies on the mechanisms of pain generation and possible techniques for improved pain management.

He also describes the videos that he and his team produce to educate the general public and students on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

For more information about the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, visit:

McGowan Institute Patient Site

McGowan Institute Research Site

Host John Murphy

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed.

Posted by RMT Editor at 19:13

What is Regenerative Medicine?

Regenerative medicine is an exciting new field that seeks to understand how the body heals under normal conditions, then harness and amplify that process when and where it is needed most. Regenerative medicine treatments promote the growth of natural tissues or replicate the functions of those tissues to treat injuries and diseases that have not yet been conquered by traditional medicine. Regenerative medicine brings together biology, medicine, genetics, engineering, chemistry, robotics, computer science, and other fields to develop artificial organs, specially grown tissues and cells (including stem cells), laboratory-made compounds, and combinations of these approaches.

The podcasts available for listening/download are:

• Dr. Eric Beckman is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and the co-founder of Cohera Medical, Inc. (4.22.09)

• Dr. Peter Wearden is an Assistant Professor-Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Director Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and a faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. (3.31.09)

• Dr. David Whitcomb is Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh.(2.27.09)

• Dr. Steven Little who is an Assistant Professor and Bicentennial Alumni Faculty Fellow, Departments of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Immunology, and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh (1.30.09)

• Major General (ret.) Gale S. Pollock, who is the executive director of the nation’s first Center for Ocular Regeneration and Vision Restoration (CORVR), a division of the UPMC eye center. (1.23.09)

• Sanjeev G. Shroff, PhD., who is the Associate Chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh; Professor and Gerald McGinnis Chair in Bioengineering; Professor of Medicine; and Senior Investigator, Magee-Women’s Research Institute (1.2.09) 

• Dr. John Pollock who is Associate Professor-Bayer School of Natural Sciences and Environment, Duquesne University (12.18.08)

• Dr. David Whitcomb, Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, he is the Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, as well as the founder and Director of the Center for Genomic Sciences. (11.28.08)

• Dr. Vera Donnenberg, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

• John Manzetti, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG). (10.29.08

• Kerem Pekkan, PhD who is an Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. (9.29.08)

• Dr. Steven Little who is an Assistant Professor and Bicentennial Alumni Faculty Fellow, Departments of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Immunology, and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

• Dr. Newell Washburn who is an Assistant Professor, in the Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

• Thomas Tillett who is the founding President and CEO of RheoGene (8.12.08)

• Joel Schuman, MD.  Dr. Schuman is the Eye and Ear Foundation Professor and Chairman of Department of Ophthalmology (7.15.08)

• Latha Satish, Ph.D.  Dr. Satish is a Research Assistant Professor, Scarless Wound Healing Program at the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute  (6.22.08)

• Dr. Gerlach is Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh (6.10.08)

• Dr. Marra is an Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Plastic Surgery Lab at the University of Pittsburgh (4.8.08)

• Steve Winowich, Director of Clinical Bioengineering with the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Chief Operating Officer of Vital Engineering, Inc. (3.24.08)

• Ms. Schanck is the Director, Education and Workforce Development at the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) (3.6.08)

• Dr. Phil G. Campbell, Research Professor, Institute of Complex Engineered Systems, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Also he has academic appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center at CMU. (2.15.08)

• Alan Wells, MD, DMS, Head of Cell Biology at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. At the University of Pittsburgh, he is Vice-Chair and Thomas J Gill III Professor of the Department of Pathology. In addition, Dr. Wells is the Medical Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) CSLI, and the Staff Pathologist at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (2.1.08)

• Eric Lagasse, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Associate professor in the Department of Pathology and the Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center, a joint venture between the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. (1.10.08)

• Peter Wearden, MD, PhD., Assistant Professor-Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Director Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and a faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (12.24.07)

• Dr. Jennifer Braemar Ogilvie, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Section of Endocrine Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (11.27.07)

• SYIS-TERMIS-NA leadership reviews the vision and the operations of the Chapter and the benefits of students and post-doctoral fellows joining the Society (11.06.07)

• Dr. David Vorp, Associate Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering. Director of the Vascular Surgery and Vascular Biomechanics Research Lab (10.17.07)

• David S. Smith, corporate attorney at Pepper Hamilton LLP, specializing in intellectual property transactions, regulatory issues, and licensing. (09.30.07)

• Dr. Kim S. Jones, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University (09.17.07)

• Dr. Anshu Mathur, Assistant Professor in the new Inter-Institutional Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Plastic Surgery at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (08.31.07)

• Dr. George Christ, PhD, Professor at Wake Forest University and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (08.15.07)

• Dr. Alejandro Nieponice, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh (08.01.07)

• Dr. Milica Radisic, Assistant Professor, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto (07.17.07)

• Dr. Baer, Director of the Research Office at the Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio, Texas (06.28.07)

• Dr. Michael Sacks, Director of the Engineered Tissue Mechanics and Mechanobiology Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh (06.03.07)

• Dr. Bruno Peault, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh (05.18.07)

• Dr. Rory Cooper, Chair and Distinguished University Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh. (04.30.07)

• Dr. Ajit Yoganathan, Regents' Professor, Associate Chair for Research, and the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. (04.24.07)

• Dr. Stephen Badylak, Professor at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh. (04.24.07)

• Thomas R. Harris, MD, PhD, Orrin Henry Ingram Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Medicine, Vanderbilt University; Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University (03.01.07)

• Michael Chancellor, MD, Professor of Urology, University of Pittsburgh; Director of Neurourology and Urinary Incontinence Programs, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh; practicing OB/GYN (02.13.07)

• Robert Eberhart, PhD, Professor, Department of Engineering in Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern (01.30.07)

• Yoram Vodovotz, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh (01.16.07)

• Alan J. Russell, PhD, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; University Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology, University of Pittsburgh (12.27.06)

• Peter DeComo, Co-Founder, Renal Solutions (12.15.06)

• Doros Platika, MD, former President and Chief Executive Officer, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse; current Chairman, Supercentenarian Research Foundation (11.29.06)

• Shelley Zomak and Judi Vensak, Managers of Team Pittsburgh during the 2006 and the upcoming 2008 Transplant Games (11.14.06)

• William Wagner, PhD, Deputy Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Associate Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh (10.27.06)

• Robert Kormos, MD, Medical Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Director, UPMC Artificial Heart Program (10.11.06)

• Harvey Borovetz, PhD, Deputy Director, Artificial Organs and Medical Devices, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Chair, Bioengineering Department, University of Pittsburgh (09.29.06)

• Peter Katona, PhD, Whitaker Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2006 (09.14.06)

• William Federspiel, PhD, William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Chemical Engineering, Surgery and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Medical Devices Laboratory: Biotransport, Pulmonary, and Cardiovascular, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
  AND
  Marina Kameneva, PhD, Research Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Professor of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Artificial Blood Program, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (08.31.06)

• Kevin Shakesheff, PhD, Professor of Tissue Engineering, University of Nottingham; Founding Director, Tissue Engineering Group, University of Nottingham
  AND
  Nick Rhodes, PhD, Director, Cell Biology, University of Liverpool (08.16.06)

• Malla Padidam, PhD, Scientist, RheoGene, Inc.
  AND
  David S. Smith, Esq, Pepper Hamilton LLP (07.31.06)

• Professor Jöns Hilborn, Department of Materials Chemistry, Uppsala University, Sweden
  AND
  Ivan Martin, PhD, University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland (07.14.06)

• David Williams, PhD, Director, United Kingdom Centre for Tissue Engineering (UKCTE), a research collaboration among the University of Manchester and University of Liverpool
  AND
  Ms. Mary Ann Liebert, Publisher of more than 60 respected books and scientific journals (06.30.06)

• Anthony Atala, MD, Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Chairman, Department of Urology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (06.15.06)

• Patrick E. Crago, PhD, Allen H. and Constance T. Ford Professor and Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University (05.31.06)

• Savio L-Y. Woo, PhD, DSc, W. K. Whiteford Professor, Department of Bioengineering; Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Professor, Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh (05.15.06)

• Van C. Mow, PhD, Stanley Dicker Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Bioengineering; Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University (04.26.06)

• Carolyn Green, Director of the Office of Enterprise Development, Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh (04.14.06)

• Andrés J. García, PhD, Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology's Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (03.31.06)

• Amit N. Patel, MD, MS, Director, Center for Cardiac Cell Therapy, UPMC and McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (03.13.06)

• Frederick J. Schoen, MD, PhD, Professor, Pathology and Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital (03.01.06)

• Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Research Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (02.14.06)

• Alyssa Panitch, PhD, Associate Professor, Harrington Department of Bioengineering, Arizona State University (01.24.06)

• Alan J. Russell, PhD, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; University Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology, University of Pittsburgh (12.15.05)

Posted by RMT Editor in Podcast Index at 13:15